Iran-Afghan railway to be launched in 8 months: Official

Khorramabad, July 19, IRNA – Iran-Afghanistan railway will be inaugurated by the end of the Persia calendar year (March 20), an Iranian official said on Thursday.

'The railway, dubbed Khaf-Herat, will be inaugurated by the end of this year,' Kheirollah Khademi, deputy minister of roads and urban development told reporters.

He also said that 391 kilometers of railway will be added to the railway network of the country during the same period.

Iranian officials, including President Hassan Rouhani, have stressed the importance of the project in boosting trade ties with neighboring countries, including Afghanistan.

Uzbekistan's first deputy prime minister Achilbay Ramatov said in April that speeding up the construction of Khaf-Herat railway will make Chabahar Port in southeastern Iran and Bandar Abbas, south Iran, more accessible for shipping millions of tons of goods.